Pro Cyclist Collides With His Wife At Race As He Reaches Finish Line

Luis Carlos Chia, a professional cyclist, didn't even have time to celebrate his triumph in the third stage of the annual cycling race, the Vuelta a Colombia, before the high-speed crash.

TV commentators instantly picked up the accident.

However, it was only afterward that they discovered the woman knocked unconscious by the yellow jersey road racer was Luis's wife.

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Claudia Roncancio was seen lying open-eyed and seemingly unconscious on the hard pavement behind the finish line while her injured husband was taken off his bike and limped away on live television.

The accident didn't deter him from continuing his goal to win the coveted event, which was founded in 1951 by Englishman Donald W Raskin and a few of his friends as a way to replicate the legendary Tour de France.

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Claudia, a former cyclist who is now a photographer who travels with her husband to document his riding achievements, was transported to the hospital.

Overnight local reports said she remained under medical care and had needed stitches to a head wound.

The couple has yet to comment on the surreal incident on their social media but Luis told a Colombian newspaper after the smash: 'I wanted to brake but the bike didn't respond.

'I hit my wife but it could have just as easily have been another person.'

Insisting Claudia hadn't lost consciousness despite the TV images showing her appearing to have been knocked out, he added: 'The doctors have checked her and more than anything it was the shock of it.

'She knew there was going to be a sprint finish and I don't understand why she didn't get out of the way.'

Colombian pro cyclist Egan Bernal, who cheated death earlier this year in a horrific collision with a bus during a training session, insisted safety always had to come first.

He wrote on social media: 'It's the Vuelta a Colombia and cyclists literally risk their lives to offer a show. 

'But the safety of each and every one of them should always be guaranteed.'

Luis Carlos Chia's third stage victory yesterday was his second so far in this year's race following his opening day win.